It may only be the start of November, but John Lewis has already dropped their much anticipated Christmas ad for 2023. This year, the retailer switches out its famed tear-jerker style for something much more light-hearted and wholesome. It focuses on a young boy named Alfie, who spots a 'Grow Your Own Perfect Christmas Tree' kit and asks his grandma if he can have it. He opens the box to find a seed inside which he plants and nurtures as it grows into a giant Venus flytrap called Snapper. The family are wary of the plant, especially when it spots their pet pomeranian. They move Snapper outside and replace it with a generic Christmas tree, but when they see how much it means to Alfie, they all proceed to open Christmas gifts in the garden. The advert is soundtracked by an upbeat song called 'Festa', which means “celebration”. It is sung by the opera tenor legend Andrea Bocelli and written and produced by Le Feste Antonacci. Speaking about his involvement, Bocelli explained he was “delighted to take part in this wonderful and unique tradition of Christmas storytelling”. Since releasing the ad, reactions have been coming in thick and fast online: One person felt like it lacked Christmas spirit... November 09, 08:46 One person compared the ad to the musical 'Little Shop of Horrors' November 09, 08:45 How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the Bundesliga season – including one from his own half – as 10-man Bayern Munich bounced back from a goalless first 45 minutes to beat nine-man Darmstadt 8-0 on a wild afternoon at the Allianz Arena. Joshua Kimmich was sent off after just four minutes, but red cards for Klaus Gjasula and Matej Maglica ensured the hosts had the man advantage at the break, the first time three men have ever been sent off in the first half of a German top-flight encounter. Kane broke the deadlock six minutes after the restart but it was his second goal, a magnificent effort from inside his own half, that was the highlight of a contest that also saw him pick up an assist on the first of two goals for Jamal Musiala before striking in his 12th goal from nine matches of this still-new Bundesliga season. Leroy Sane, who set up Kane’s third, scored two of his own while Thomas Muller also contributed to the heaviest defeat in the visitors’ history.Things got off to a dramatic start when Kimmich brought down Marvin Mehlem at the edge of the area and was shown a straight red, deemed to have prevented the visitors from a clear goal-scoring opportunity after just four minutes. Bayern were initially awarded a penalty after Gjasula was judged to have tripped Konrad Laimer, but on review referee Martin Petersen overturned his decision, determining Gjasula was the last man and the incident occurred outside the penalty area – resulting in the Albanian’s 21st-minute dismissal and a free-kick for the hosts. Darmstadt were holding their own against the Bundesliga title-holders in the 10-v-10, even holding the shot advantage through the first 37 minutes, but became the architects of their own undoing when Maglica caught up with Kane in nearly the exact same spot as the previous red-card incident. The outcome was also the same though the visitors, down to nine men, were able to sustain the deadlock to half-time despite threats from Kane and Sane, who had a goal chalked off for offside. It was a different story after the restart when Kane broke the deadlock with a diving header to open the scoring six minutes into the second half, five minutes before Sane tapped home Laimer’s cross from six yards. Then it was Musiala’s turn, extending to the advantage to 3-0 with an assist from Kane and throwing open the floodgates in the process as Sane bagged his brace with an 18-yard strike past Schuhen four minutes later. Then came Kane’s piece de resistance, a world-class strike from just beyond the halfway line, sending Marcel Schuhen on a futile scramble as he watched the ball touch down in the back of his net. https://x.com/FCBayernEN/status/1718281482190438463?s=20 Muller made it six with his first goal of the season before Musiala slotted past Schuhen for Bayern’s seventh, and while the Darmstadt keeper made a few good saves, desperate not to see his side lose by double-digits, he could not keep out Kane. The England captain, hungry for more, latched into a perfect pass from Sane to complete his hat-trick and relentless Bayern’s second-half rout. Read More Matty Ashton at the double as England seal series win over Tonga Chelsea need to find nasty streak and goals will come – Mauricio Pochettino Everton financial reports just another thing to deal with – Sean Dyche Steve Borthwick’s plans for England’s Six Nations campaign well under way England ‘feeling the heat’ of World Cup implosion – Marcus Trescothick Erik ten Hag admits Man Utd ‘have a way to go’ as they prepare for derby day

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